The cook-off featured the hospitality and tourism specialist high skills major program at TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education. There were four teams tasked with creating their own version of “the best chili ever.” It’s a high bar, but many teams seemed to succeed.

And nobody did a better job than Cote, who was a team of one for most of the event.

A panel of celebrity judges made up of community partners was on hand, and staff and students also had an opportunity to vote for their favourite chili to determine a popular-vote winner.

Judges, who included Andrew Arbic of the Cornwall Community Police Service and local chef Matt Drouin, were given a tour of the facility, an opportunity to become better acquainted with TR Leger programs.

“I’m hoping (the cook-off will) be an annual event,” said Trent Carter-Edwards, the TR Leger vice-principal. “It’s gone well. The students have been working on this since Monday. . . there’s enough (chili) to feed all the staff and students who are here on campus today.”

Student Ashley Gagne-Paquette, of Cornwall, has aspirations of going into nursing at some point, but she enrolled in the hospitality and tourism SHSM program to improve her cooking skills.

Ashley Gagne-Paquette, with a bowl of bean-free chili, at the Great Chili Cook-off on Thursday, December 6, 2018, in Cornwall, Ont. Todd Hambleton/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia NetworkTodd Hambleton /
Todd Hambleton/Standard-Freeholder

“I do a lot of cooking at home – I have younger siblings and both my parents work full time,” Gagne-Paquette said. “I wanted to learn more.”

She’d never made chili before, but was satisfied with her creation.

“Yeah, I enjoyed it,” she said.

The Upper Canada District School Board officially opened its new TR Leger campus in Cornwall back in late September, at 600 McConnell Ave., the former site of Immaculate Conception school.

The school offers nine programs and provides services to over 300 students.

Overall, there are 1,300+ students registered in the credit and non-credit programs in 14 TR Leger campuses in communities across eastern Ontario.